Select ALL the correct texts in the passage.
Which two sentences in this excerpt from Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" most closely reflects the central theme of the passage?
His guests shivered again. A strange chillness, whether of the body or spirit they could not tell, was creeping gradually over them all. They gazed at one another, and fancied that each fleeting moment snatched away a charm, and left a deepening furrow where none had been before. Was it an illusion? Had the changes of a lifetime been crowded into so brief a space, and were they now four aged people, sitting with their old friend, Dr. Heidegger?
"Are we grown old again, so soon?" cried they, dolefully.
In truth they had. The Water of Youth possessed merely a virtue more transient than that of wine. The delirium which it created had effervesced away. Yes! they were old again. With a shuddering impulse, that showed her a woman still, the widow clasped her skinny hands before her face, and wished that the coffin-lid were over it, since it could be no longer beautiful.
"Yes, friends, ye are old again," said Dr. Heidegger, "and lo! the Water of Youth is all lavished on the ground. Well, I bemoan it not; for if the fountain gushed at my very doorstep, I would not stoop to bathe my lips in it; no, though its delirium were for years instead of moments. Such is the lesson ye have taught me!"
But the doctor's four friends had taught no such lesson to themselves. They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night, from the Fountain of Youth.
- The Water of Youth possessed merely a virtue more transient than that of wine.
- They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night, from the Fountain of Youth.
To identify the two sentences that most closely reflect the central theme of the passage, we need to understand the central theme first. In this excerpt from Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment," the central theme is the fleeting nature of youth and the desire for eternal youthfulness.
Now let's analyze the sentences and select the two that align with this theme:
1. "The Water of Youth possessed merely a virtue more transient than that of wine."
This sentence explicitly mentions the transient nature of the Water of Youth, emphasizing its fleeting effect. This aligns with the central theme of the passage, as it underscores the temporary nature of youthfulness.
2. "But the doctor's four friends had taught no such lesson to themselves. They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night, from the Fountain of Youth."
This sentence showcases the desire of the doctor's friends to seek eternal youth by planning a pilgrimage to the Fountain of Youth in Florida. Their eagerness to regain their youthfulness echoes the central theme of the passage.
Therefore, the two sentences that most closely reflect the central theme of the passage are:
- "The Water of Youth possessed merely a virtue more transient than that of wine."
- "But the doctor's four friends had taught no such lesson to themselves. They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night, from the Fountain of Youth."
- Was it an illusion? Had the changes of a lifetime been crowded into so brief a space, and were they now four aged people, sitting with their old friend, Dr. Heidegger?
- The Water of Youth possessed merely a virtue more transient than that of wine.
- Yes! they were old again.
- "Yes, friends, ye are old again," said Dr. Heidegger, "and lo! the Water of Youth is all lavished on the ground.
- But the doctor's four friends had taught no such lesson to themselves. They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night, from the Fountain of Youth.